BBNBA: Nine Kentucky players score 20+ points during busy Wednesday slate

With no games on Thanksgiving, the NBA loaded up Wednesday’s slate with 14 games. 28 of the league’s 30 teams were in action last night. There was plenty of production from the many former Kentucky players as well. In total, 21 Wildcats saw the floor on Wednesday, headlined by a BBNBA-high 39 points from Tyrese Maxey in an overtime loss to Reed Sheppard and the Houston Rockets.

Maxey wasn’t the only 30-point scorer though. Two other ‘Cats reached that mark while a total of nine UK alums scored at least 20 points. There was a lot to talk about. We’ll start with Maxey’s big night and go from there.

To reach his 39 points (28 coming in the second half, but none in overtime), Maxey needed 34 shots to get there. He managed to shoot 6-12 from deep but was just 8-22 elsewhere. Maxey added 10 assists (his first double-double of the season) and five steals to his stat line in 45 minutes. But without Joel Embiid and Paul George by his side, the All-Star point guard couldn’t do everything for the Philadelphia 76ers. On the other end of the floor, Sheppard saw just six minutes in the overtime win for Houston, failing to score a point on 0-3 shooting.

SGA, Booker also go for 30+

Joining Maxey in the 30-point club last night were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) and Devin Booker (PHX), although only one came out with the win.

That would be Gilgeous-Alexander, whose 35 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks led the Thunder to a 105-101 win over the Golden State Warriors. He shot 13-28 from the field and 3-12 from deep. Granted, the Warriors were without Steph Curry, but Oklahoma City also lost Jalen Williams late in the first half due to an eye injury. Golden State had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer after SGA missed a free throw on the other end, but Andrew Wiggins’ final attempt by blocked.

Also for the Thunder, second-year guard Cason Wallace finished with nine points, six assists, and four rebounds in 32 minutes. OKC is tops in the Western Conference with a 14-4 record.

Meanwhile, Booker dropped 31 points, four assists, and three rebounds in 38 minutes for the Phoenix Suns, although it came in a 127-117 loss to the surprisingly decent Brooklyn Nets. Despite dealing with plenty of injuries, Brooklyn has now won four of its last five. Despite getting Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal back last night, the Suns have now lost seven of its last nine. A 17-3 run during the middle of the third quarter by the Nets broke a tie and effectively ended this game.

Wildcats shine in wins for Heat, Kings

Between the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings, five former Wildcats help make up the rosters. Four of those five saw playing time last night with three of them scoring at least 26 points. Both teams came out with wins, as well.

The Kings had the better win of the two though, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves (which also have two Wildcats) 115-104 on the road. Malik Monk dropped 27 points as De’Aaron Fox was right behind him with 26 points. Monk nearly posted a triple-double too with nine assists and eight rebounds on 11-16 shooting (3-5 from deep). Fox was again right behind him in those categories too, finishing with eight rebounds and eight assists on 10-22 shooting (3-8 from deep). Some eerily similar stat lines from the 2016-17 Kentucky backcourt. Trey Lyles did not play for the Kings with a calf injury.

On the losing end for Minnesota, Julius Randle was one of the nine Wildcats with 20 or more points, recording 21 on 8-14 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. Rookie Rob Dillingham only saw five minutes of action and did not get off a shot.

Circling back to the Heat, Tyler Herro led Miami to a 98-94 win over the Charlotte Hornets, which were once again without Nick Richards due to a rib issue. Herro dropped 27 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 38 minutes. The 24-year-old is easily having his best pro season yet and might just find himself among the All-Star conversation if he keeps this up. Herro is averaging 23.6 points, 5.4 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per outing on shooting splits of 46.6/41.4/85.

But his teammate, Bam Adebayo, wasn’t as productive in the scoring column last night. Adebayo still posted a double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but he missed on the triple-double with only eight points on 3-8 shooting. Jimmy Butler sat out the fourth quarter with a minor injury too, but Miami still came out with the win.

Other BBNBA notes

• Karl-Anthony Towns registered his eighth straight double-double and 14th of the season in a 129-114 loss for the New York Knicks to PJ Washington and the Dallas Mavericks. Towns went for 25 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists in the win on 7-16 shooting. Even without Luka Doncic, the Mavs still rolled. Washington dropped a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in addition to seven assists and two blocks.
• Jamal Murray finished with 22 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and four steals in a 122-103 win for the Denver Nuggets over the Utah Jazz. Missing a couple of starters, the Jazz trailed by double-digits for most of the night, which allowed Oscar Tshiebwe some playing time. The second-year big man added three points, nine rebounds, and two steals in 15 minutes.
• We’ll wrap up today’s recap with Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers, which smacked Keldon Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs by a final score of 119-101. Davis chipped in 19 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in the win while Johnson added just four points and four rebounds in 22 minutes.

11/27/24 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	122-115 (OT) L vs. HOU	39	14-34 (6-12)	2	10	5	0	4	-5	45
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	105-101 W @ GSW	35	13-28 (3-12)	9	5	1	2	3	5	38
Devin Booker (PHX)	127-117 L vs. BKN	31	8-18 (3-9)	3	4	0	0	3	-9	38
Tyler Herro (MIA)	98-94 W @ CHA	27	11-22 (4-12)	8	5	1	0	6	9	38
Malik Monk (SAC)	115-104 W @ MIN	27	11-16 (3-5)	8	9	1	0	2	14	34
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	115-104 W @ MIN	26	10-22 (3-8)	8	8	2	0	5	6	38
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	129-114 L @ DAL	25	7-16 (2-4)	14	4	0	1	1	-7	35
Jamal Murray (DEN)	122-103 W @ UTA	22	10-18 (1-6)	4	8	4	0	1	18	36
Julius Randle (MIN)	115-104 L vs. SAC	21	8-14 (1-5)	9	4	2	0	4	-8	35
PJ Washington (DAL)	129-114 W vs. NYK	19	7-12 (3-3)	10	7	1	2	4	6	35
Anthony Davis (LAL)	119-101 W @ SAS	19	8-14 (0-2)	14	7	1	0	1	16	35
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	121-114 L @ IND	17	8-19 (1-7)	2	3	3	0	0	0	37
Cason Wallace (OKC)	105-101 W @ GSW	9	4-5 (1-2)	4	6	2	3	0	-2	32
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	98-94 W @ CHA	8	3-8 (0-2)	10	10	2	0	3	5	36
Brandon Boston Jr. (NOP)	119-93 L vs. TOR	4	2-4 (0-1)	3	3	2	0	1	-19	20
Antonio Reeves (NOP)	119-93 L vs. TOR	4	1-1	1	0	0	0	0	1	6
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	119-101 L vs. LAL	4	1-5 (0-1)	4	2	0	0	1	-21	22
Oscar Tshiebwe (UTA)	122-103 L vs. DEN	3	0-0	9	0	2	0	1	-6	15
Reed Sheppard (HOU)	122-115 (OT) W @ PHI	0	0-3 (0-2)	0	1	1	0	1	-1	6
Rob Dillingham (MIN)	115-104 L vs. SAC	0	0-0	1	0	0	0	2	-6	5
Johnny Juzang (UTA)	122-103 L vs. DEN	0	0-5 (0-4)	5	3	0	1	1	-16	17
Nick Richards (CHA)	98-94 L vs. MIA	DNP-Ribs	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	119-101 W @ SAS	DNP-Foot	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	119-93 W @ NOP	DNP-Elbow	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jacob Toppin (NYK)	129-114 L @ DAL	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Trey Lyles (SAC)	115-104 W @ MIN	DNP-Calf	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	121-114 W vs. POR	DNP-Achilles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—